


Knocking on Heaven's Door

by dracusfyre



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen, I'm Sorry, Poor Loki, Post-Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Thor is going to need a hug, aaaaaaaangst, that scene from the Infinity War trailer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-18
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2019-04-03 22:47:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14006505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dracusfyre/pseuds/dracusfyre
Summary: Loki had hoped that he would have a little more time before his past caught up with him.





	Knocking on Heaven's Door

**Author's Note:**

> Because everyone is thinking it, right? Loki is not going to make it past Thanos alive. Here's how I think it will go...I had to get it written down so that it wouldn't be running through my mind all the time. Crossing my fingers that I'm way off base.

                Loki felt the blood drain from his face as the other ship came into view, black as a carrion bird and twice as ominous.  “No,” he said, swaying, even as Thor scowled and said “What the hell is this?”

                “We have to leave.”  Loki turned on his heel and ran for the nearest intercom, fumbling with the unfamiliar controls.  “Everyone to emergency stations. Gather in the main hall of the ship immediately.”

                “Loki? What the hell are you doing?”  With one last look at the ship that filled their viewscreen, Thor started running after Loki.

                “We have to evacuate the ship,” Loki said shortly, banging on doors as he went. 

                “Why? Because of that ship?”

                “Obviously because of that ship, Thor,” Loki snapped, leaping over a railing to land on the platform below.  There was another emergency speaker on the platform and Loki repeated his warning. Already people were rushing out of their rooms, muttering to each other in confusion.

                “Who is it?”

                “That’s not important right now. What’s important is that we get everyone as far from that ship as possible.”  They had reached the main hall of the ship, which would normally have been a hangar for ships but had been repurposed to a dining hall and throne room when the barge had become the refuge for the remaining people of Asgard.  Thor was still on his heels as Loki shooed some people to step back.

                “Loki, what are you – is that the Tesseract?” Thor said incredulously when Loki twisted space with a flick of his wrist and a glowing blue cube appeared in his hand. “Are you _serious_? Loki, what in Hel’s name are you –”

                “Shut _up_ , Thor,” Loki hissed viciously, tearing his arm out of Thor’s grip.  “I need to concentrate.” The fear and urgency in his voice, the barely controlled panic, made Thor take a step back, speechless.   The air went curiously heavy and blue light began streaming from the cube, writhing and sparking in the air until a circle had been cut into space; the dull metal of the ship’s wall had been replaced by sidewalks and brick buildings and bright sunlight.   The people closest to the portal took a step back, confused, until Loki roared “ _Go, you stupid peasants!_ ” and then the pressure from the people in the back forced the first few through the portal. 

                “Loki, I don’t understand,” Thor said in a low voice, careful not to touch him and jostle the Tesseract.  “Where are you sending them? Why?”

                “Earth. Go get Banner and the Valkyrie,” Loki ordered, “and anyone else you can find.”

                Thor hesitated for a moment, torn, but the lines of strain on Loki’s face and the tightness in his shoulders made him turn away and start sprinting through the ship, urging stragglers to hurry to the main hall.  He found the Valkyrie and Banner doing the same, escorting a small group and carrying the injured.

                “Thor? What’s happening?” Banner handed over his load to Thor, jogging to keep up with the group.

                “I don’t know.  A ship appeared next to us and then Loki ordered this evacuation.”

                “And you’re trusting him?” Valkyrie said with raised eyebrows. 

                Thor opened his mouth to try to explain when the ship shuddered, throwing them against the walls.  Overhead, the lights flickered and the air handling systems whined. “Yes,” he said finally, and Valkyrie gave a short nod and increased her pace.   By the time they reached the main hall it was almost empty and Loki was sagging against the bulkhead, the portal half the size it had been when Thor had left.

                “Hurry, there’s not much time,” he said, just as the ship shuddered again.  From somewhere to the side of the room there was a menacing shriek of distressed metal.   Thor waved Valkyrie and Banner through but didn’t follow.  Loki scowled and him and gestured towards the portal, where the Asgardians were huddled together in confusion.  “Go, Thor.  Our people need a king.”

                “I’m not leaving you, Loki,” Thor said stubbornly.

                “Thor, now is not the time for your ridiculous heroics,” Loki said with a snarl. “Go. Through. The. Portal.”

                “No, apparently it’s the time for _your_ ridiculous heroics,” Thor said, crossing his arms over his chest, feeling his stomach sink when the portal shrank again as Loki swayed, strength clearly almost spent. “I’m not going without you.”

                “I-”  Whatever Loki was going to say was interrupted by an explosion that shook the ship, this time ripping a hole in the wall on the other side of the main hall. The blast threw them to the floor, smoke and ash clouding the air as the portal vanished and the ship went dark. Thor hit a bulkhead with a grunt of pain but Loki rolled, managing to keep his grip on the Tesseract.  When he climbed shakily to his feet, the artifact had vanished.

                Through the hole in the wall four figures strode in, black clad and swinging their weapons idly as they studied the room.  The one in front, deceptively unarmed, was tall and slender, eyes small and dark and his face flat and noseless. His thin lips stretched in a grotesque smile when he saw Loki.

                “Ah, Loki. What a pleasure it is to see you again.”  The two flanking him chuckled nastily.

                When Thor joined Loki he saw that his brother’s hands were in fists by his side and his breathing was shallow.   “Loki, it might be time to tell me who these people are,” he said quietly, fingers aching for the comforting weight of Mjolnir.

                “Thor, these are the Children of Thanos.”  Speaking seemed to shake him out of whatever trance he’d been in, because he drew himself up with a deep breath.  He gestured towards the speaker.  “This ugly bastard is Ebony Maw.”

                “Loki,” the alien tsked. “You wound me. So this is Thor?”  He eyed Thor critically.  “I expected someone more impressive. You know, he used to scream out your name a lot. _Thor, help me,_ ” he said in a falsetto voice, rolling his eyes, and Thor felt Loki stiffen beside him. “ _Please, Thor. I’m sorry._ ”

                “Very tragic,” one of the other aliens agreed.  This one was apparently female, if human bodily standards could be applied, and she was carrying a four-pronged spear as tall as she was.  “Took him a long time to shut up about it.”

                When Loki wouldn’t meet his eyes, Thor felt like he’d been punched in the gut.  For a moment he was breathless with pain and regret, then rage came boiling over. “You-” he started, but the words got choked by the anger that made his throat tight.  He took a step forward, fists clenched and already sparking with lightning. “I am going to kill you,” he growled. “All of you.”

                “I don’t recommend taking another step.” Another one of the aliens stepped forward as well, drawing the glaive that had been strapped to his back.  This one was wearing exotic armor and a cowl, with blue skin and tattoos on his face.   He looked bored.

                “It’s fine, Corvus, he can try,” Ebony Maw said, still smiling.  “I am interested in seeing how well he fares compared to his brother.  How long do you think he will last? Three weeks? Four?”

                “I give him three,” the final alien rumbled, a horned hulking brute with scaled skin.   He turned his head towards the hole in the wall as if hearing something, then stepped to the side. “Boss is here.”

                Loki made a small noise and Thor looked at him sharply.  This time when Loki met his eyes, his gaze was bleak. “You really should have gone, Thor.”

                Across the room, an alien ducked as he came through the hole in the bulkhead, surveying the destruction dispassionately.  He was huge, easily the size of the Hulk, but his skin was a ruddy purple that contrasted sharply with the bronze cast of his armor.  On his left hand a gauntlet had a bright purple stone inset at the first finger, with places for what looked like four others on it. “I take it this is Thanos,” Thor said under his breath, and Loki nodded.  

                “Also known as the Mad Titan.”

                “Well, he looks like an angry grape,” Thor said, and he saw a ghost of a smile on Loki’s lips.

                “Loki,” Thanos said, his voice echoing in the huge empty space of the main hall. “Where is the Tesseract?”

                “The Tesseract?” Loki echoed, affecting a surprised tone.  “I do not have it.  It was in the vault on Asgard when it was destroyed by Surtur.”

                “Just as you were slain on Svartalfheim,” Ebony Maw said sarcastically. “Do not insult us by thinking that we do not know that Infinity Stones cannot _be_ destroyed.  But if you do not have it, then there is still the matter of your punishment for failure.  ‘You will long for something sweet as pain,’ I believe the Other put it.”

                “He did have a way with words,” the lady alien drawled, still swinging her spear.

                “I don’t know who any of you are, but you will not lay a finger on my brother,” Thor said, losing his patience. He charged at Thanos, feeling his bones light up as he called the lightning.  It arced around his fists as he leapt off a railing to hit Thanos in the jaw.

                Only to have his breath knocked out of him as he slammed into the bulkhead, swatted out of the air by a giant purple hand.  Thor shook his head, refusing to groan even as his ribs complained.  Before he could get to his feet, one of Thanos’s hands came down on his head, squeezing until Thor stopped moving.

                “Who is this insolent fool?” Thanos asked, wrenching Thor’s head back to examine him.

                “Thor, my lord,” Ebony Maw said with a bow.  “Loki’s brother.”

                “I see.”   The hand on Thor’s head tightened until Thor cried out in pain.  “Where is the Tesseract, Loki?”

                Loki took two steps forward and the four aliens surrounded him, weapons raised.  He held up his hands and stopped. “I don’t have it. My lord.”

                “I don’t believe you.” The hand on Thor’s head tightened again; Thor gritted his teeth against another scream, but a low groan was forced from his chest.  He tried to pry Thanos’s fingers from his head but the Titan’s grip was unmoveable.  “You should know, as I do, that the stones know each other. They call to each other. So give me the Tesseract, or this one dies,” he said, shaking Thor like a doll.  Then the pressure came back, crushing and inexorable, a vice around his skull that made his ears ring and his eyes throb. 

                “Enough!” Loki called out, and Thor sucked in a deep breath as the pain in his head eased.  

                “Loki, no!” Thor shouted and the hand on his head squeezed again in warning.

                Thanos’s lackeys stepped to the side, allowing Loki to approach.  “I have the Tesseract,” Loki said, voice unnaturally calm.  “Release him, and I will surrender it, and myself, to you.”

                “First I would see the Tesseract.”

                “Don’t,” Thor said again, pleading.  Loki bowed his head and took a deep breath; when he looked up and raised his hand towards Thanos the Tesseract was there, its blue light bright in the dim room.  

                “Good.” Turning, Thanos threw Thor through the hole in the wall of the ship. As the vacuum of space stole the breath from his lungs and his vision went dim, the last thing Thor saw was Loki’s body fall lifelessly to the floor.


End file.
